Inside a mile-deep open-pit copper mine after a catastrophic landslide

BoingBoing ^ | 4/22/2013 | Tim Heffernan

[dirtboy]

ping

[Lurker]

Wow. And no one hurt. Simply amazing. I wonder if anyone got video.

[ClearCase_guy]

Very slight echoes of Francisco d’Anconia’s unfortunate adventure with the San Sebastian mines. “Your enormous investment in my copper mines? So sorry. The mine swallowed your investment. There will be no copper for you.”

[dirtboy]

Read the article at the link. Rio Tinto was in the process of taking operations underground, and the landslide buried where that work was being done. This could have economic ripple effects for some time.

[dirtboy]

copper ping

[Red_Devil 232]

How convenient! Now they wont need tons of explosives to to bring down the copper bearing sediments! Copper should be cheaper.

[dirtboy]

More pics:

http://blog.skytruth.org/2013/04/landslide-at-bingham-canyon-mine-utah.html

[agere_contra]

The hillside was laced with seismographic equipment: they knew the slide was coming well in advance.

[thackney]

Wow, thanks for the ping.

I’ve been to big boron mining operation in Death Valley. My father and his family were all coal miners.

[agere_contra]

IIRC that big-ass pile of dirt is/was the spoil heap.

[cripplecreek]

The Empire mine in Michigan is another big one. Looks like the Chinese should have went with a bit shallower slope.

[thackney]

I’ve been to big boron borax mining operation in Death Valley.

[dfwgator]

Earth First!

_{We'll mine the other planets later.}

[dirtboy]

It happened at 9:30 pm, so they would not have video.

[Carry_Okie]

Considering the price of copper lately, this could end up being a profitable event for Kennecott.

Given the 12 hours' notice, can you imagine the phone calls? I'll bet somebody made out like a bandit.

In a rational world, the traders would be subscribing to companies installing landslide warning devices worldwide. It would be cheaper than the extra insurance, or the bureaucrats.

[thackney]

Looks like the Chinese should have went with a bit shallower slope.

Not Chinese.

of a massive landslide at Bingham Canyon Mine, about 20 miles southwest of Salt Lake City.

[thackney]

I believe that slumped heap was the non-copper bearing soil and rock they removed from the hole. It re-buried some of the operations, not exposed it.

[DuncanWaring]

That’s the mine itself; the spoil heap is elsewhere.

[Justa]

Exactly my thoughts. All they should have to do is re-excavate the roads and they can start scooping up all the fill at the bottom. I say they’re back in operation in 60 days -fed regs and permits notwithstanding.